The Stiltz – great hotel built on stilts

We had planned to celebrate Christmas Eve 2012 in Swakopmunde and had booked a hotel room for 3 nights. It was time to relax and stay in one place for some days. Swakopmunde is located on the Atlantic coast in Namibia and because of the cold sea breeze; the climate is comfortable, not too hot. The city is a popular holiday resort and the Namibians escape here from the heat that can be troublesome in many places in Namibia in the summer, which is our winter.

The Stiltz in Swakopmunde

Great was the surprise when we arrived at The Stiltz Hotel and were asked if we wanted to be upgraded for free. Of course, that is nice and we thought we would just get a bigger room. A nice man grabbed my suitcase and showed us the way. This was not a regular hotel but a hotel on stilts. All the rooms were individual houses on high stilts in a riverbed almost by the ocean.

To get from one house to another we had to go on narrow wooden bridges. At the very end we passed a sign “The Villa” and that was where we were heading. Our upgrade consisted of a huge two-story villa, three bedrooms, a giant living room and three terraces that gave views to all celestial directions. And the big villa stood on stilts as well. Talk about pleasant surprise!

Our villa at The Stiltz

Our biggest problem was to choose which bedroom to stay in, which had the best view? It had to be the biggest one on the mezzanine. From the big window we looked down on the beach and the riverbed and the whole Atlantic Ocean lay in front of us. What a great luck, and we should stay here for 3 nights. The only problem was that we did not want to leave our Villa. But you cannot visit Swakopmunde without moving outside your hotel.

Our villa at The Stiltz had exquisite décor with African masks on the walls and natural local materials. The roof was covered with straw mats and the furniture was rustic and beautiful.

The Stiltz is quite rustic and not a regular luxury hotel. They do not have a large kitchen and only serve breakfast. There is no pool but the beach is 2 minutes away. Even if you have the feeling of being far from the city, it’s only a few minutes walk and you are in the center of Swakopmunde. The charm factor is important for this hotel and it is sky high. We enjoyed every second and will gladly return to The Stiltz – a hotel on stilts.

Our stay was not sponsored. The upgrade was done without the site knowing who we were.

Hi! We are Bente and Per

We want to share with others all the joy we have travelling and inspire others to travel more and more often. We believe all humans can benefit from travels, experiencing other cultures and meeting other people. Travelling enriches our lives and contributes to increased understanding and tolerance in the world.

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Textile artist and the founder and former editor of Quiltemagasinet, a Scandinavian magazine for quilters. I love to explore the world, travelling with my husband as often as we can. I also work as a travel guide for Explore Travel AS.